February this year marked 10 years of me living in Australia, this country has given me so much; I met my husband here, I’ve had my girls here and I’m now a citizen, but as much as I love my adopted home, for a long time now something feels like its missing.
I moved away from Belfast when I was 19; living in Edinburgh, London and Ibiza before making the move to Australia (a move that was only meant to be for 1 year). I’ve spent a long time away from home and next September I would’ve hit the milestone of living away from Ireland longer than I ever lived there, but that won’t happen as you have probably guessed by now…
We’re moving to Ireland!
This was not an easy decision to make, it’s been one of the hardest of my life because it affects the people I love most and I know it’ll be breaking some hearts too.
We officially made the decision in January not long after Christmas, but this decision has been years in the making.
I’ve had bouts of homesickness before, but the last few years its been more than homesickness. It’s a longing that just won’t go away and one that’s started to affect my life and mental health. I miss my family, friends, the scenery, the lifestyle and even the weather – how is that even possible?!
Being totally honest Brisbane has never felt like home and has never found a place in my heart like some of the other places I’ve lived. Darren and I have spoken on and off for years about moving somewhere else, we initially thought we’d move back to Melbourne where we met but to be honest the longer I’ve lived here the more I feel the distance from home.
It came to a head after Christmas; with Darren still out of work and Mia due to start school this September (in the UK), it felt like the right time to do it. I simply said to Darren ‘What are we waiting for? What is keeping us here?’, and with that the decision was made.
One of the big parts of this move will be selling our home which means we’ve completely pivoted our renovation projects to get our house ready for sale, which you may have already noticed happening.
It feels so good to tell you and to announce it to the world because for so long it felt like it would never happen, and now that it is I am excited and ready for the next chapter of our lives on the Emerald Isle.
